Stop Using All Graphics in Emails: Dell Gets it Right

If you engage in email marketing and you want to maximize your results (i.e. open rates, click through rates, and your overall ROI) and avoid unsubscribes you must STOP USING ALL GRAPHICS in your emails. Your key messaging (i.e. offer) must be in simple text.

Here is an email I received today from TopDeq Office Furniture:

No! No! No!
All Graphics and I can’t see the value of the email without taking another action to download the images. Many people won’t take this extra step since nothing caught their interest. The subject line could have potentially saved the user’s interest but even that is lacking any sense of urgency or compelling information to spark my interest.

Here is an email I received recently from Dell Computers:

Yes! Yes! Yes!
Email Design Done Right! Immediately, I see the value of this email and I know whether or not I am interested. The subject line and email body copy offers ‘Free Second Day Shipping and a savings of up to $480″ on 15″ laptops. Plus, I can see many of the other important offer details without needing to download the graphics. This approach was accomplished by using creative background colors and appropriate font colors/sizes. No magic here. Job well done, Dell!

Kayden is the founder and CEO of Blast Analytics & Marketing. He leads overall strategy and execution in positioning Blast as a leading analytics and digital marketing consulting company. An industry trailblazer who stays ahead of trends and opportunities, Kayden has spent nearly two decades building his expertise in all areas, with a deep focus on analytics, search engine optimization, and user experience. He is an evangelist for “the customer,” helping clients create sustainable competitive advantage by developing, optimizing, distributing, and connecting valuable content to customer needs.